What a week of injury-time heroics. celtics To keep the season alive – Martin O’Neill The magic continues.

The question remains where the team would be if Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous tenure had been avoided, with O’Neill winning 14 of his 17 games in charge and losing just one in the Europa League.

The gap with the red heart Premier League Despite having a game remaining, the Championship side remain firmly in the lead at six points at the top of the table and will be waiting for an opportunity to attack if Hearts do slip over the next few weeks.

It must be said that Celtic are far from their best at the moment, but slowly but surely, things are starting to look up, with the club’s January uptick in business providing a different look to the side after a summer of misguided spending.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is undoubtedly the man of the window and the Englishman could not have made a better start at Parkhead, ensuring he is likely to force his way into O’Neill’s best XI.

Celtic’s best starting XI since January transfer window

Despite missing key figures such as Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston, Glasgow has new depth, with the Northern Irishman having two, if not three, options in every position.

Starting at the back, the experienced Kasper Schmeichel remains O’Neill’s man, even after his glaring errors in the derby, and ahead of him it’s hard to ignore the centre-back pairing of Auston Trusty and Liam Scales.

Defender Kieran Tierney’s jersey is on the left, although Marcelo Saracchi follows closely behind Livingston’s performance, while on the right, Julian Araujo, who arrived on loan in January, has firmly surpassed Anthony Ralston as the main player in Johnston’s absence.

Meanwhile, at the top of the pitch, there appears to be a direct battle for the ninth place spot between Thomas Kavankara and Junior Adamu, with the latter having already missed the mark on his debut against Dundee at the weekend.

Regardless of which of the two strikers gets the nod, they will likely be flanked for the foreseeable by Maeda Ohito and Sebastien Tunekti, with the Tunisian winger having three goals and an assist in recent games.

Meanwhile, Celtic’s leading scorer Benjamin Nygren will continue to play a role in the tenth position, while the typically ever-present Callum McGregor is certain to start as co-ordinator in the deep-lying midfield.

Perhaps the biggest battle is over who should be McGregor’s partner in the center of Parkhead going forward, with such a tight rivalry potentially being particularly detrimental to the future of the Parkhead outer star.

Forgotten Celtic player shouldn’t start over in Livingston’s absence

The early exit of Arne Engels through injury provides an opportunity for Leo Hatt to impress against Levy and he is expected to regain his regular role in the midfield three.

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was Celtic’s hero on Wednesday night, while Leo Hartart was almost the villain.

Frustratingly, the 28-year-old lost possession again on 60 minutes, dragging down Robbie Muirhead in the box and the Japan international produced another lackluster performance.

With Oxlade-Chamberlain then coming on as a stoppage-time substitute after his delightful curling strike, the midfield sequence could have a different feel, with the experienced Englishman set to be the final piece of the puzzle, fitness permitting.

One man who wasn’t even in the conversation at the time was Paulo Bernardo, with the Portuguese’s omission from the matchday squad a further indication of his declining status under O’Neill’s regime.

The 24-year-old had the chance to impress in Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against Dundee but failed to take advantage of it as Celtic’s early struggles saw the playmaker withdraw at half-time along with new signing Joel Mwuka.

There has long been a desire to see Bernardo given a chance, but that 45-minute performance gave us an idea of ​​why he has failed to flourish under Brendan Rodgers and has been sidelined so far.

In fact, he started only 36 of the 82 games he played under Rodgers, and started just four games under Nancy and O’Neill.

As is the case with Barikwishay, who has been largely overlooked by Celtic’s three managers this season, it does beg the question of why every manager has come to the same conclusion about Bernardo, favoring a host of other options ahead of him.

With Oxlade-Chamberlain arriving and already thriving, depth in midfield should ensure Bernardo’s days at Celtic Park are numbered, having made just seven Premier League appearances all season.

After a disastrous game against Dundee at the weekend, it would be a real surprise to see the former Benfica man get the nod again from the start for the remainder of the season, although the Hoops compete on three fronts, with 17 games without a goal or assist in all competitions in 2025/26 saying it all.

Now entering his third season in Scottish football, Bernardo is sadly among those players who simply get their chance but fail to take it.

For the benefit of all parties, this summer should be the time for a change.

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